Why I'm scared to get back on my bike.

Today I'm going to step away from writing and books and talk about Mountain Biking. If you remember from my New Years Resolution post one of my resolutions was to push aside my fears and get back on my bike. I started mountain biking several years ago. My boyfriend is obsessed and it was great to be able to do something that we both enjoyed. As a mountain biker I was well aware that you don't always stay on your bike. Even the best mountain biker can hit an unexpected rut in the trail or a rock and go flying over the handle bars. However, two summers ago I took a pretty hard fall. I didn't break anything, though as I laid on the ground, beneath my bike, legs tangled in the frame, dirt in my mouth, I thought I did.

I was on the trail with my best friend. My boyfriend and hers had gone on ahead of us and since it was her first time I was taking it slow. I came to a part of the trail that was down hill and as I felt the wind whipping my hair behind me I wanted to just go for it. I pedaled like mad then let the hill guide me down. As I came to the end of the hill my tire hit a patch of sand. I over compensated for the dip my bike took and the next thing I knew I was falling. I smacked the ground so hard I had the wind knocked out of me. My bike landed on top of me and my legs went right through the opening in the frame and I could not get them out. If you've ever been mountain biking on a trail you know that you do not want to be lying in the middle of the trail. Bikers fly down these trails at unbelievable speeds and you do not want them to run you over if they can't stop.

Luckily my friend caught up to me and was able to get me untangled from the bike and off the trail. What's even worse about being on a trail- You can't just stop. You are in the middle of the woods and the only way out is finishing or finding a bail out that can be just as long as the trail itself. When the shaking calmed and I was finally able to catch my breath we got back on our bikes. What other choice did we have? We caught up with our boyfriends who of course told me that it was just a fall and that I was fine. Would it kill them to give a little sympathy? It wasn't until a few days later when the bruises began to appear that they realized how bad of a fall I took. My chest was bruised, my entire thigh, my elbow, and my leg. I also had cuts on my elbow that weren't noticeable on the trail because a layer of dirt covered them.

A picture of the bruise on my upper thigh.

This spring I want to get back on my bike. I loved the trails and being in nature and feeling the satisfaction and pride that came with making it to the end. I'm just terrified of falling again. I can still feel the pain shooting through my chest and arm as I hit the ground. I've come to the conclusion I can't live my life in fear. If I did I never would have wrote a book. I never would have kept writing books and chasing a dream, that while at times seems unattainable, but that I know one day I can and will achieve. So I am getting my riding gear ready and in the spring I plan on looking my fear in the face. It's one step at a time and getting over my fear of my bike is the first step towards vanquishing my other fears.

 If I didn't bike I never would have stood here.

What are you scared of?

Sean Griswolds's Head by Lindsey Leavitt

Why did this book sit on my bookshelf for months? Why? I'm almost mad at myself for not picking it up sooner. Sean Griswold's Head is my new Anna and The French Kiss. Before I get into it, a quick overview from Lindsey Leavitt's website:

Payton Gritas needs a focus object—something to focus her emotions on after discovering that her father’s been hiding his multiple sclerosis. Her guidance counselor suggested something inanimate but Payton chooses the thing she stares at during class: Sean Griswold’s head. They’ve been linked since third grade (Griswold-Gritas, it’s an alphabetical order thing), but she’s never really noticed him before. Payton starts stalking—er, focusing on—Sean’s big blond head, and her research quickly grows into something a little less scientific and a lot more crush-like. As Payton gets inside Sean’s head, Sean finds a way into her guarded heart. But obsessing over Sean won’t fix Payton’s fear of her dad’s illness. For that, she’ll have to focus on herself.

Have you ever read a book and when you finish think- Now that is the type of book I want to write. Sean Griswold's Head is that book for me. It took me so long to pick it up because instead of reading what the book was about I assumed it was told from a boy, Sean's, POV and every time I saw it sitting on the shelf I thought, yeah I don't really want to know what's in his head today. WRONG! I should have read the book flap. If anyone else has been hesitant about this book, stop hesitating and pick it up.

Lindsey Leavitt brings you on Payton's journey as she tries to cope with the hardships life has handed her. It is an emotional ride with laugh out loud moments and a great insight into the disease of MS. I learned so much while reading this and it really opened up my eyes to a disease that I was not all that familiar with.

This book is another perfect example of a strong voice. I felt like I was not in Sean Griswold's head but in Payton's. She was witty to the point where I was thinking- how did the writer come up with this, and on top of that she was emotionally raw. It was the perfect combination. I felt everything that she felt. I laughed. I cried and I understood why she chose to deal with her issues the way that she did.

I'm terrible at writing reviews. So I'm going to stop trying to explain why you should read this book and just say read it.I bet you will love it.

Have you read it? Or like me, it has been sitting on your TBR list forever?

Where Do I Write?

I missed this weeks Road Trip Wednesday, hosted by YA Highway, but after commenting on Colin Smith's blog (Check it out) I decided I would expand on my comment and post it a day late. This weeks topic: Describe your dream writing retreat. Where would you go? Who and what would you bring?

Every book I have ever written has been done so on my couch. I get distracted very easily and I feel if I were to go to one of the amazing places that other writers chose I would not be able to concentrate. I would want to be out basking in the sun, backstroking in the ocean, taking part in excursions and taking pictures of every single flower, tree and building I see. 

Perfect example, I went to Aruba a few years ago with my boyfriend and his parents and I thought it would be the best time and place to focus on my writing. I had been to Aruba the year prior with friends so really I had seen everything already, perfect opportunity to write. Right? Definitely not. I don't think I wrote a single word that week. I was too busy snorkeling, eating, tubing, parasailing and so on. Below are some pictures of me 'hard at work'.

Drinking and taking in the views.

 Tubing!

 Parasailing!

As you can see, easily distracted. My couch seems to be the one place where I can sit, get in the zone and lose myself in my story and characters without any distractions. I actually bought a desk last year. I was so excited to get it that I made my boyfriend stop whatever he was doing and put it together that very second. A year later I have used it maybe twice. So as sad as it is, my dream writing retreat is where I write everyday. My couch. And all I need is a cup or three of coffee or tea. Now if the subject was my dream place to get inspiration I could come up with a million places, but still I would take in the inspiration and come home to write. 

What about you? What is your dream writing retreat?

NaNoing in January

I've mentioned before that I have started a new WIP. What I didn't mention is that since NaNo went well for me in November I decided to do my own NaNo in January. What am I thinking? I know. I must be crazy. I'm not. I think that NaNo was a great motivator. I didn't have the luxury of pushing my WIP aside and saying oh I don't feel like writing today. I had no choice but to write. I also wrote a story I didn't think I was capable of writing. And after revisions and help from Kelley (my critique partner) and sending it out to several other people, I am almost ready to begin querying. It was an idea I had in my mind for over a year but was too scared to write. NaNo didn't give fear a chance to consume me. I know there are many people out there that don't believe in the idea of writing a novel in a month, but after doing it, I do.

Do you have any writing goals this month? Have you ever done your own NaNo?

I Crossed Over to the Darkside

Yes it is official. I now own a Nook. I didn't go out and buy it, my mom got the new fancy Nook for Christmas and wanted me to have her old one. I never thought I would own an E-reader and now I do. My first experience, not so great.

I went with my parents to Foxwoods a casino in Connecticut. We took a jet ferry out of Orient Point (the very end of the northern Long Island tip) to New London Connecticut then jumped on a bus that drove us to the casino. For thirty two dollars a person! You really can't beat that. Back to the point of my story. I had 350 books at my fingertips to read during the trip. I left my paperback at home but I didn't need it. No I had my trusty Nook and all 350 books in my moms library. I turned the Nook on and after reading ten pages of A Tale of Two Cities, what happens? Low battery! We were only fifteen minutes into the trip. Of course my moms response was, "Didn't you charge it?" So of course my response was, "No! It's a book!" If I brought my paperback with me I wouldn't have had to worry about a low battery. You don't have to charge real books! Then I was thrilled when my mom turned hers on and had no signal to download a new book. We were in the middle of the Long Island Sound, no wifi. So there we sat doing a crossword puzzle in a book I just happened to throw in my bag while our Nooks sat lifeless on the table. 

I haven't given up on the Nook just yet. I just wanted to pass along my inconvenience with you all. I don't know if I will ever be an advocate for the E-readers, but I'm going to try and be a little more open to them. In the comments I want to hear your pros and cons of the E-reader and if you still prefer a real book.

Location. Location. Location.

I'm starting a new WIP and it is going to be based on one night in the city. New York City to be exact. As a New Yorker I'm just accustomed to calling it the city. It's habit. The first thing I had to decide was what part of the city will this story take place in. I could, if I wanted to, send my characters from China Town to Central Park and back,  but I've walked that before and I wouldn't do that to them. I need to focus on one specific area of the city and because my character will be attending NYU in the fall I decided to keep the story in that general area.

This is where the problem comes in. I have been to this area on numerous occasions. However, I am not as familiar with it as say the area near and around Central Park. I am online researching the area but I feel like I won't be able to fully create the scenes without walking the streets and visiting all the locations, I plan to put in the story, myself. So my question for you is: When you write a story do you choose a place that you are familiar with? Or do you or have you used a location you have never been to before and rely on research?

I remember watching an interview with Stephanie Meyer (Yes I am using the Twilight creator as an example) she said she researched an area that has a substantial amount of rainfall and stumbled onto Forks. She had never been there before, but she wrote an entire series based on the area.

Forks, though was an unknown town until Stephanie Meyer chose it as the place to house Bella and Edward. New York City is one of the most popular and recognized cities in the world, there is no room for error. I can't have the characters bouncing around from location to location and going east when they should be going west. I'll be ripped apart for my inaccuracies. I guess it wouldn't be fun if it wasn't a challenge.

I'd love to hear what you all think on the subject. How do you choose the location for your WIP's?

All the Books I read in 2011

   On Goodreads the widget shows the books in rows of three, but for some reason it is not working that way. Regardless here are the 86 books I read in 2011.I didn't reach my goal, however I read some amazing books. Did you reach your goal for the year?

  
     

       
           
 

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

   
 
 

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